Isaiah 33:4

Woe to thee that spoilest, and thou wast not spoiled; and dealest treacherously, and they dealt not treacherously with thee! when thou shalt cease to spoil, thou shalt be spoiled; and when thou shalt make an end to deal treacherously, they shall deal treacherously with thee. describe the Assyrian spoiler: strong as he is, he shall fall before Yahweh, who is stronger (Isaiah 33:2; Isaiah 33:10). The time is the autumn of 713 BC Verse 1 WOE TO THEE THAT SPOILEST AND THOU (WAST) NOT SPOILED ie Though thou wast not spoiled though Verse 1. WOE TO THEE THAT SPOILEST, AND THOU (WAST) NOT SPOILED - i:e., Though thou wast not spoiled-though thou wast not dealt treacherously with (note,...

4._And your prey shall be gathered. _Here he addresses the Assyrians, if it be not thought preferable to refer it to the Jews, and to take the word “prey” in an active sense. But the former opinion is more_appropriate; _and this sudden turn of direct address imparts great vehemence to the prediction, when he openly and expressly taunts the proud adversaries. Yet it is doubtful whether it denotes the final ruin of the nation, or the defeat of King Sennacherib, when his army was destroyed by the hand of an angel before the walls of Jerusalem. (2 Kings 19:35.) The latter opinion has been adopted by almost all commentators, but it appears to me to be too limited; for I think that the Prophet, from the beginning of the chapter, intended to express something more, when he spoke of the destruction of that nation, The prophecy might even be still farther extended, as I suggested a litt

1-14 Here we have the proud and false destroyer justly reckoned with for all his fraud and violence. The righteous God often pays sinners in their own coin. Those who by faith humbly wait for God, shall find him gracious to them; as the day, so let the strength be. If God leaves us to ourselves any morning, we are undone; we must every morning commit ourselves to him, and go forth in his strength to do the work of the day. When God arises, his enemies are scattered. True wisdom and knowledge lead to strength of salvation, which renders us stedfast in the ways of God; and true piety is the only treasure which can never be plundered or spent. The distress Jerusalem was brought into, is described. God's time to appear for his people, is, when all other helpers fail. Let all who hear what God has done, acknowledge that he can do every thing. Sinners in Zion will have much to answer for, abo...

AND YOUR SPOIL - The booty that the Assyrian army bad gathered in their march toward Jerusalem, and which would now be left by them to be collected by the Jews. SHALL BE GATHERED LIKE THE GATHERING OF THE CATERPILLAR - The grammatical construction here is such that this may admit of two interpretations. It may either mean, as the caterpillar or the locust is gathered; or it may mean, as the caterpillar gathers its spoil. It often occurred that in countries where the locust was an article of food, they were scraped together in large quantities, and thrown into ditches, or into reservoirs, and retained to be eaten. This is the custom in some parts of Africa. But the meaning here is, undoubtedly, that the plunder of the Assyrian army would be collected by the Jews, as the locust gathered its food. The sense is, that as locusts spread themselves out over a land, as they go to and fro without...

SECTION X. A PROPHECY OF JUDGMENT ON ASSYRIA (Isaiah 33:1.). EXPOSITION ISAIAH 33:1 THE JUDGMENT ON ASSYRIA AND DELIVERANCE OF JERUSALEM, STATED GENERALLY. Events had progressed since the preceding prophecies were delivered. The negotiations carried on with Sennacherib had been futile (Isaiah 33:7), the heavy fine imposed and paid ...

AND YOUR SPOIL SHALL BE GATHERED [LIKE] THE GATHERING OF THE CATERPILLAR,.... This is the answer of the Lord to the prayer of his church, signifying that their enemies should flee, be scattered, and perish, and that they should be victorious, and enjoy the spoils of them; which they should gather as easily as the caterpillar or locust, as some render it, gathers and consumes herbs, and every green thing; or as easily as they are gathered, and laid on heaps, being weak and unable to defend themselves: most understand it of the Jews going into the camp of the Assyrians, after the destruction of them by the angel, and gathering their spoil. The Targum is, "and the house of Israel shall gather the substance of the people, their enemies, as they gather a locust:'' the antichristian locusts or caterpillars are here meant, whose substance shall fall into the hands of the followers of Christ,...

CHAPTER 33 Sixth Woe Against the Assyrian and What Is to Follow 1. _The judgment announced (Isaiah 33:1)_ 2. _The prayer of the faithful remnant (Isaiah 33:2)_ 3. _The judgment executed (Isaiah 33:7)_ 4. _The judge in the midst of Zion (Isaiah 33:14)_ 5. _The King beheld in His beauty (Isaiah 33:17)_ 6. _Healing and forgiveness the result of the coming of the King (Isaiah 33:24) _ This is the last mention which is made of the

ISAIAH 33. DENUNCIATION OF THE TREACHEROUS FOE. ZION'S EXTREMITY, YAHWEH'S OPPORTUNITY. If Isaiah's, the date is apparently 701, and the situation presupposed is Sennacherib's demand for unconditional surrender of Jerusalem after he had received an enormous tribute from Hezekiah. This breach of faith would cause the weeping of the ambassadors (Isaiah 33:7). But the chapter is now usually regarded as post-exilic. The parallels in language are with late Psalms, and the list of non-Isaianic words and senses of words is considerable. Nor is it clear that the historical allusions suit the actual circumstances of Isaiah's time. But it would be very precarious in our almost complete ignorance of great stretches of the later history to argue that it must be Maccabean, even if we have reconciled ourselves to the belief that there are Maccabean elements in the Canon of the prophets (p. 425). We mu...

CATERPILLER . locusts....

Assurance of Jehovah's victory, founded on the great deliverances of the past. The perfects in Isaiah 33:3 may be either those of experience, expressing a general truth often verified in history, or of prophetic assurance. Isaiah 33:4 seems to apply this truth to the present crisis....